Afghanistan: Taliban demand beheading of mannequins in shops

Published on : 01/05/2022 – 22:28

The Taliban ordered clothing vendors in the western Afghan town of Herat to behead mannequins in their stores. The directive comes in addition to a series of measures by the Taliban to impose on the country their rigorous vision of Islam, limiting public freedoms – especially of women and girls.

“We asked the traders to cut off the heads of the models, because it is against the law [islamique] Sharia law, “Aziz Rahman, head of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Herat, the third largest city in the country with about 600,000 inhabitants, confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

“If they just cover the head, or hide the mannequin [entier] the angel of Allah will not come into their store or their house to bless them, ”he continued, adding that the clothes sellers promised that they would obey.

A video showing men sawing the heads of female plastic mannequins has been circulating widely on social media since Tuesday.

Traders fear a drop in sales

Several traders from Hérat interviewed by AFP said they were unhappy. “As you can see, we cut off the heads of the mannequins in the store,” regrets Basheer Ahmed, complaining that each of his models cost him 5,000 afghanis (around 42 euros). “When there is no model, how do you hope to sell your products to consumers?” He added.

The Taliban have not yet issued any national directives regarding these plastic mannequins, in conflict with their strict interpretation of Islamic law, which prohibits the depiction of human figures.

During their first reign in the 1990s, they shocked the world with the destruction of two Buddha statues.

Multiplication of restrictions targeting women

Since their return to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban, who seek to be recognized by the international community and would like the return of crucial humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, have nevertheless claimed to be more moderate.

But Islamists have since imposed several restrictions, especially on women and girls. They announced that women wishing to travel long distances should be accompanied by a male relative and called on taxi drivers to only accept women in their vehicles if they wear the “Islamic veil”.

The Taliban authorities have also increased searches for alcohol and banned music.

With AFP